The Bird

We are off on a race against time, through such specific geography from West Coast to East - Seattle to Savannah - that the land itself is part of the adventure. J. Marshall Martin (in his second novel) slips 16 year old Tripp into the driver's seat of his father's beloved black Thunderbird. Unfolding quick page by quick page, Tripp fulfills the last request of his powerful grandfather - to 'kidnap' him from a nursing home and return him to their real home (for both of them) Savannah. Grandfather guides as backseat driver and Tripp travels to try to keep his memory of his mother, while his father is locked away in grief over her death. Hobble, companion and fellow traveler, rides shot-gun as a salami eating, unstoppable three legged dog. Then they are joined by Angie, in all black, with pierced belly button, purple hair and dragon tattoo, hitching her way to find somewhere, too. Martin has powered this novel with the soft spots and rough edges milled by these strong characters in the act of finding how hard the responsibility is to step off into a new part of their lives. Who will Tripp be once back home after going against his father's demands, while aiding the irrepressible will of a sneaky, quirky grandfather. -- Carol Lee Lorenzo, author of Nervous Dancer.